Rarely do books, movies, TV shows, etc. live up to their hype, but I just finished Orange is the New Black this past weekend and it was AWESOME. Seriously, if you have Netflix and haven't seen it yet, check it out. I laughed, I cried, and I actually, literally clapped and cheered at the end of the Season 2 finale. Now I have to find a way to wait patiently for Season 3!

Last time I posted in this topic, I mentioned a period crime drama on BBC America called Copper that was finishing up its first season. Copper's first season was completely awesome from start to finish, and I can say it was one of the best TV seasons I've watched.

Unfortunately, Season Two of Copper took all that goodwill and excellence, and hurled it against the wall in an alcohol-induced Nyquil nightmare. The second season follows up on the first season's metaplot of a Confederate plot to firebomb New York City with... a plot to counterfeit Union money. In 1865.

Beloved characters are killed off off-screen, the plot seems like a lot of elements are missing, the villain is a non-charismatic man who is cruel for cruelty's sake, and the final episode, The Place I Call My Home, is quite literally "assassination of Abraham Lincoln fanfiction," with the three main characters going into Confederate territory to hunt John Wilkes Booth, and ends with a naked prostitute dead in a rain barrel, a missing main character, and zero closure. Small wonder that this once-awesome show was not renewed for 2014.

If you ever want to watch Copper, I highly recommend Season One, and only Season One. Pretend Season Two never happened, for your sake and mine.

Anyway! Now that I got that bitter pill forced down, I've got a couple new recommends for y'all! =D

Atlantis-- equally British, equally as awesome as Copper Season One was, and it's basically Hercules: The Legendary Journeys with an actual plot. In short, Jason (an oceanography student from 21st century Earth) explores undersea ruins, washes ashore in Atlantis, meets a jolly fat strongman named Hercules (yes, that Hercules) and his scrawny intelligent triangle-obsessed friend Pythagoras (yes, that Pythagoras.) They fight crime and some of the classic monsters from Greek mythology. Through the course of the (so far) sole season, plots are thickened, jokes are made, adventure is had, and a romance between Jason and the beautiful Atlantean princess Medea is formed. Awesome if you love Greco-Roman mythology like I do, don't mind occasionally bad special effects, and aren't bothered that the show plays fast and loose with mythology from time to time.

Sailor Moon: Crystal-- A modern update of the classic magical girl series from the 1990s. Sailor Moon Crystal sticks a bit closer to the manga as far as the pacing and plot are concerned, though with a few twists (Jadeite actually survives meeting Sailor Mars! Zoicite and Kunzite appear alongside Jadeite and Nephrite in the very next episode just to taunt the Sailor Guardians!!) that might take the story in a vastly different direction (above change might make Makoto Kino's introduction as Sailor Jupiter slightly less awesome, if they're going to not kill Nephrite in her debut.) but it's still the classic "idiot princess with a heart of gold, overly-polite genius hydromancer, psychic pyromancer, whatever the hell Minako does, and Makoto Kino, with the power of three men! Oh, and lightning too i guess" you remember from your childhood.

And before you ask, no, Tuxedo Mask doesn't throw razor-sharp roses from God knows where in Crystal. Doesn't mean he's not awesome anyway. (His conversation with Usagi in Episode 3 is hilarious, and they get a very cute buildup towards their inevitable shoujou romance.) Moon Pride, the OP song, is a declaration of power and is basically what a Sailor Guardian is, and special mention must be made of the ED sequence; a beautifully-animated romantic interlude between a princess and her knight.

Only real problem is they have one animation unit that is REALLY awful, and I'm sure you can Google "sailor moon crystal crap animation" for examples, and the translation is slightly awful at times (to the point where Episode 4 actually had to retcon what a character said in the previous episode). But I'm sure you won't mind. XD

So, been re-watching Exo Squad, just so that I've got it thoroughly down. In short, it's a colorful sci-fi action toy cartoon that also features war crimes, body horror, a touch of PTSD, and is occasionally willing to kill off characters at a pace you can set your watch to, whether they've been around for two episodes or 20, 30, or even more. It's a rather startling show considering its intended audience, but it's also one of the shows that followed the wake of the revolution in Western animated storytelling that started with Batman: The Animated Series.

Anyway, I'm beginning to think that Exo Squad is really what some people have been looking for from the Gundam franchise for a while now- a show that's generally unstinting about the costs of war but where our heroes generally win through teamwork and good soldiering with in-battle philosophizing kept to a minimum (out-of-battle is okay).

Anyway, I'm beginning to think that Exo Squad is really what some people have been looking for from the Gundam franchise for a while now- a show that's generally unstinting about the costs of war but where our heroes generally win through teamwork and good soldiering with in-battle philosophizing kept to a minimum (out-of-battle is okay).

The constant philosophizing is kind of a problem in some anime, ha ha.

I am 6 again, as I am attempting to get through (gradually) the entirety of the 80s/90s TMNT as I got the full DVD box set a while back, but hadn't had the chance to fully enjoy it yet. I am currently at season 2.

First off is the new series of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders. They didn't handle the end precisely the way I would have, but I found the way they did do it equally acceptable because of how spectacular Dio's defeat was. So awesome

The second I finished was Clannad + it's second season, Clannad After Story. There's a lot I have to say about it but can't right now, as this is meant to be a quick post, but the short version is that 1.) No one does this show more of a disservice than its fans, and 2.) Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a show I expected to love and did, this is a show I didn't necessarily expect to like but loved anyway.

Anyone watch anime anymore? Anyone watching Osomatsu-san? Because I am. And it's been a phenomenal experience. I've always liked crazy-funny, but I didn't really expect much Osomatsu-san. The art is simple, and the animation is done by Studio Pierrot, which I've been meh on in the past. But this show blew me away with how crazy it is, and how they managed to make the characters both terrible and likable at the same time. Now I can't get enough.

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